Annual Meetings Are Such a Drag
by Yukaianne
Summary: The Gym Leaders' annual meeting has come again, but there has recently been a change of staff. Volkner can't be bothered to get the info himself, so how will his meeting with the new guy pan out, especially when they end up being roommates? Done as a request for kshiba-chan. RoarkxVolkner, pre-Diamond and Pearl. Rated T for later chapters and possible strong language.
1. Fateful Meeting

**AN: Alright, here goes. This was done as a request from kshiba-chan. "Could you do a cute one with Roark and Volkner? :D", well... here's the first chapter! I actually really like this one. I might keep this narrative style. It's fun to write like this.**

**I thought the best way to do this would be to set it in a time period a year or more before the events of Diamond and Pearl, so head-canon might be evident. Sorry 'bout that in advance. Also, I feel the need to point out that I wrote this at 1:30 in the morning while I'm suffering from a caffeine crash. If there are any continuity fails, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me. I WILL fix them.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokemon in any way. If I did, you'd be able to travel to ALL the regions in the games by now.**

* * *

The days passed, same as they always had. The time came when the Sinnoh Gym Leaders would have to have their annual get-together of sorts. This usually consisted of spending a week in the same hotel, having meetings and discussing training methods.

Sure, it sounded like it had the potential to be fun, but Volkner wanted nothing to do with it.

The eighth, most skilled Gym Leader had seen less than a handful of challengers in the past month. The ones that had stopped by were hardly a challenge for even his Ambipom, and the badges at the gym were starting to get dusty from not being given out. The lack of a challenge was starting to upset Volkner, and, as if his irritation couldn't get any worse, Sunyshore was suffering from another power failure. Apparently, running on wind power alone wasn't enough for the high-powered city. Maybe solar would be a better alternative….

Surely, he would be scolded for disrupting the usual flow of traffic to the Pokémon League. Volkner dreaded the day that the Gym Leaders would have to have their meeting. The last time a Gym Leader messed with the flow of traffic, they were let go. Byron in Canalave City was the perfect example. He had to take to place of the old Canalave City Gym Leader (who had somehow managed to block off the surfing route to the city), leaving a spot open in Oreburgh.

Oddly enough, Volkner had never found out who the new Gym Leader was. He only knew that the new specialty there was the usual Rock-type. That made it easier for beginning trainers, as the Steel-type that Byron specialized in was far too difficult to beat without a Fire-, Fighting-, or Ground-type. The poor kids that started with Piplup were doomed to failure at the first gym.

Volkner packed his things for the meeting in silence. He felt that he was impossibly lonely lately. There were no new trainers to meet and battle, no new Gym assistants, and Flint had stopped visiting, due to an abundance of changes and remodeling at the Pokémon League. Flint had recently gotten promoted to the third Elite Four, making Volkner extremely jealous. They'd competed for the spot in the Elite Four together; Volkner had been hoping to get a greater challenge than he was getting as a Gym Leader, and Flint was aiming to become the strongest trainer Sinnoh had ever seen. Flint had ended up getting the spot in the Elite Four, but at least Volkner still had his Sunyshore Leader title.

Setting out for the harbor where the ship was docked, Volkner found his mind drifting to other matters. Who was the new Oreburgh Gym Leader, anyway? He'd heard the new guy was around his age, trained Rock-types, and was related to one of the other Gym Leaders. That was about all that Volkner could remember; he hadn't been paying much attention when he'd been told about the new Leader. Who could he be related to?

Maybe he was Gardenia's cousin. Or could he possibly be Candice's or Maylene's older brother? That couldn't be right….

Volkner reached the boat before he knew it. He took a spot next to the railing, still contemplating the possibilities. He thought it would be absolutely ridiculous, but he finally reached the conclusion that Fantina had some kind of cousin twice removed that took the spot, since there was no way that a ROCK-TYPE trainer would be related to Crasher Wake. He closed his eyes in quiet satisfaction, thinking of taking a nap on the way to the Lilycove Motel in Hoenn. It would be a long trip, so why not?

Just as Volkner was starting to fall asleep, however, he heard a voice nearby. He slowly opened his eyes. Sapphire eyes met deep burgundy ones and the unfamiliar man in front of Volkner held out a gloved hand.

"Hey there!" He practically sang. "I'm Roark. I don't think we've met before."

Volkner eyed Roark's outstretched hand with a raised eyebrow. "No, I don't think we have. What are you doing here, anyway? This boat's supposed to be taking the Gym Leaders to their annual conference."

"Eh? You don't think I'm a Gym Leader?" Roark looked taken aback. He put his hands on his hips and looked down at Volkner.

"Honestly, you don't look like it."

"What gives you that impression?" Roark questioned. He didn't have any idea in the slightest why this guy, who he just met, was being so cold. Yet, the man sitting on the deck of the ship looked vaguely familiar.

Volkner yawned and closed his eyes again. He didn't particularly want to talk to anybody at the moment, but something was nagging him. He could swear that he was supposed to know who this guy was. He couldn't put his finger on it.

The pieces put themselves together in Roark's mind. He pointed at Volkner in surprise. "You! Y-you're Volkner! The "Shining, Shocking Star of Sunyshore"! I never thought I'd actually get to meet you!" Volkner eyed the red-head with an eyebrow raised. He was used to getting this reaction, but it usually came from his stalker-ish fangirls, not grown men.

He turned his head to look out at the horizon. Sunyshore had long since faded from view. Volkner sighed. "So what if I am?"

Roark bowed his head and explained, "I'm the new Rock-type Gym Leader in Oreburgh. It's my first annual meeting, so I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. Please take care of me!"

Volkner sighed. "Fine. Just don't get your hopes up. These meetings are honestly pretty boring."

Roark grinned. "That's okay with me! As long as I can get some more experience and become a better Leader, I don't care what meetings I have to sit through!"

Volkner closed his eyes again and took in the salty scent of the ocean. He knew that this year was probably going to give him the biggest headache of his entire career, whether he got yelled at for causing another power failure or not. He drifted off to sleep again.

When Volkner awoke again, the ship was pulling into the harbor at Lilycove City. Standing up, he stretched his arms and yawned. He thought he'd had a pretty good nap, free of interruptions. It had been the first year he'd been able to go the entire trip mostly uninterrupted since he became a Gym Leader. The old Canalave City Leader was quite the annoying character.

Slinging his bag over his shoulder as the ship docked, Volkner glanced around the deck. That Roark kid was nowhere to be found. Volkner wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Volkner still couldn't quite figure Roark out. Who was he related to, anyway? He didn't particularly look like any of the other six Gym Leaders, further confirming Volkner's hypothesis that he was Fantina's cousin twice removed.

Out of the corner of his eye, Volkner spotted the Rock-type trainer. It was as though Volkner's thinking about him had summoned him. However, he saw something that surprised him. Byron was guiding Roark around, acting so friendly with the new Gym Leader that it made Volkner a little suspicious. He strained his ears to hear what the two were saying, but he couldn't hear anything over the sound of the waves slapping against the boat. He watched as Byron pulled Roark in for a hug, and suddenly felt something spark. What was going on? Surely Volkner wasn't… jealous… of Byron. He just met Roark!

Mind reeling, more because of his confusion than anything, Volkner climbed off the boat and started on his way to the Lilycove Motel. The Gym Leaders' rooms were already reserved, so Volkner needed only to take his key and make himself comfortable until the next day.

Volkner dropped his bag on the floor of his room, not particularly caring where it was, and flopped onto one of the beds. He found it a little odd that there were two beds in his room, but thought nothing of it. More room for him.

He wasn't counting on one thing, though. He was going to have a roommate.

Just as Volkner was getting comfortable again, he heard a quiet knock on the door, followed by the sound of it creaking open. He opened one of his eyes to see who it was and found himself stunned.

Roark was going to be his roommate? For the whole week?

Volkner groaned, rolling over. He didn't want to have to deal with people any more than he absolutely had to that trip. One thing still nagged at his conscience: Why did seeing Byron with the new guy cause Volkner to feel that he was jealous? Also, how did Byron know the new guy?

Roark cleared his throat awkwardly. "H-hey there, Volkner. So, I guess we're roommates this week, eh?"

"Guess so."

"You seem like you're in an even worse mood than before. What's up?"

"Who says I have to tell you? I hardly know you." Volkner tried to cut off the conversation, but Roark was about as stubborn as the wall of a cave.

"Well, the only way to get to know someone better is to talk to them." To this, Volkner simply groaned in response. "Come on, Volkner. I want to know! Did I do something to anger you already?"

Volkner stayed silent for a couple of seconds, debating whether or not to ask Roark about Byron. He figured he probably wouldn't be able to sleep if he didn't ask, anyway. "Fine," he said, rolling onto his other side so he was facing Roark and propping his head up with his elbow. "How do you know Byron and why are you two so cozy?"

Roark was startled by the question. It was so ridiculous to him that somebody would assume that there was something between him and Byron, of all people. He couldn't stop himself from bursting into a fit of laughter.

Volkner was confused by this reaction, though. "What? What so funny about a serious question?"

Roark took a couple of seconds to get his laughter back under control. He wiped his eyes and answered, "Volkner, Byron's my dad."

Needless to say, Volkner felt like an idiot. This trip was going to be an interesting one. There was so much to learn about the new Gym Leader, and only a week to do so.

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**Alright... so there's the first chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it, especially you, kshiba-chan!**

**Please, leave your comments in reviews... I answer all of them, usually within a couple of hours! Also, if you have a request for anything for me to write, I will gladly do the research and write something for you! Just leave your request in a review! Also, I can take criticism, so don't be afraid to critique! I'll use it as advice to get better :D**

**At the rate that this story is going, I think it will be about 7 chapters. That's twice as long as I thought. This'll be fun.**

**Thank you for reading!**


	2. Late on the First Day

**AN: Wow... I didn't think I'd be able to write such a long-ish chapter at 2 in the morning. Actually, that's how this whole story has gone so far. I need to start sleeping more. Like Volkner.**

**Well, kshiba-chan, here's the second chapter for you. :D I hope I managed to make it as funny as it sounded in my head... Also, everyone, I'm sorry if there is too much head-canon. I refuse to watch the Pokemon anime right now, so I'll settle for putting pieces together by playing through Platinum and reading articles on Bulbapedia.**

**Thank you to kshiba-chan and Tell-Tale Told for reviewing! Please, everybody, I can't make this better or know how I'm doing if you don't review! I'm not a mind reader!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokemon in any way. If I did, the Ice-type would probably have more defenses, other than to itself.**

* * *

Roark's internal clock woke him up at 8, just as it always did. He took his time getting up and preparing for his day. By the time he was finished and about to head out the door to meet up with the other gym leaders, it was nearly an hour later, and he would be in the motel lobby with a couple minutes to spare.

However, as he was leaving, he realized that something was missing.

The something just so happened to be his roommate. How was it possible for somebody to sleep so long, anyway?

"Hey, Volkner," he called from across the room, trying to get the other Gym Leader to wake up. Volkner didn't budge. He had his face buried in a pillow and was lying on his stomach. Roark couldn't help but wonder how it was even possible for someone to sleep in that position without dying or something. He tried again, louder this time, "Volkner! It's almost time for the meeting to start! You should get up now!"

At some point before he had gone to sleep that night, Volkner had dragged himself out of the comfort of the motel bed to change out of his signature jeans and jacket and into some shorts and a t-shirt. Roark wasn't used to this image of the overly-popular Gym Leader. His jacket made him look… less like a twig, and more like he was fit. Without that jacket, especially while he was sleeping, Volkner looked rather scrawny and vulnerable.

And, of course, he wasn't waking up.

Roark decided, after glancing at the clock on the bedside table, that more drastic measures would be necessary.

He took off his hat and shoes and took off toward the bed that Volkner slept on at a run. He leapt onto the bed – narrowly avoiding actually stepping on or kicking Volkner – and started bouncing up and down. "Volkner, we're late! Wake up!"

The blonde Gym Leader bolted awake from the sudden, jarring movement. It didn't help that the movement had caused him to slam his face into his pillow a couple of times. He struggled to get up, but Roark was still bouncing, which made things a lot more difficult than they should have been. He tried to roll over so he could get up without falling off the bed, but somehow, and by some freak accident, Roark slipped just as Volkner did so.

Roark caught himself less than an inch away from Volkner's face. The two stared into each other's faces in an awkward silence. Roark could feel his face heating up, and thought that he was about as red as a Cheri Berry. A light shade of red smeared across Volkner's face, too, before Roark came to his senses and awkwardly muttered, "We're about twenty minutes late for the meeting, now."

Somehow, Volkner managed to get out from underneath Roark without getting any closer or making any contact and paced over to the window. He threw the curtains open and let in the harsh, morning sunlight. "Damn it," he cursed.

Roark was confused. He had closed the curtains because some idiot had been wandering around with a flashlight in the middle of the night, shining the beam into their room when he was trying to get to sleep. "What?"

"Did you close the curtains last night?"

"Y-yeah. Did you want them open for something?"

Volkner ran his hand through his spiky blonde hair and exhaled in exasperation. "I'm just used to waking up when the sun rises. No wonder we're late."

That made sense to Roark. Volkner _did_ live in the sunniest city in the Sinnoh region, after all. "Sorry about that," Roark apologized, scratching his head. "Someone was outside, shining a light in here, so I closed it."

Volkner groaned. He glanced at the clock on the table. Not thinking he read it correctly, he looked over again. Yep, he'd read it right. He and Roark were already half an hour late for the first meeting!

Volkner rushed over to his bag, which was still packed, and pulled out a random pair of socks. He slid them on, followed by his shoes, and stood up, urging Roark to hurry up and get his stuff together again.

Roark wasn't sure what to think of this change in Volkner's character. He figured he'd been so bitter the day before because he was just tired and blew it off as no big deal. He grabbed his hat and put on his own shoes, heading toward the door. "Ready now?" He asked Volkner over his shoulder.

Volkner was still in the attire he had slept in, and, for lack of a better phrase, looked like hell. His hair was even messier than it usually was, and his clothing was wrinkled. He was chewing on a piece of spearmint gum; Roark could smell it.

"Yeah," Volkner replied quickly, "Let's go! We're almost an hour late now!"

The two made a mad dash for the conference room that the meeting was being held in. They burst through the double doors with a bang, panting.

"Well, well, well," Byron said with a condescending tone, "Look who finally decided to show up. Sleep in a little late, Volkner? Or was there something else?"

If there was one thing Byron enjoyed doing, it was harassing Volkner. He liked implying many, many inappropriate things by using double entendres, or even flat-out saying things. This was one of those times. It wasn't a secret among the Gym Leaders that Volkner swung both ways, after all. Everything was fair game for Byron.

Candice and Maylene sniggered and started whispering to each other. Out of the corner of his eye, Volkner noticed Gardenia blush a little at the suggestion. Nothing unusual there. Wake slapped his palm against his head. He wasn't one for tolerating word-games and implications. On their side of the table, Candice and Maylene broke out in a fit of giggles, apparently over something they said. Fantina tried to get the teenaged Gym Leaders under control again.

However, Roark didn't pick up on the joke. "Dad! I swear, nothing happened! Volkner just—"

Byron interrupted him in a well-rehearsed tone that was joking to those who were used to hearing it, but serious to those who weren't, "Now, now, it's alright if something _did _happen. Just, Volkner, don't you think that's a _little too fast_ for Roark?"

Roark's face turned such a deep shade of red that it was hard to distinguish between his face and his hair. "Dad, I told you, I-"

Volkner replied to Byron with a snarky attitude, "It would have been longer if he hadn't been bouncing." Two could play at Byron's games, and that they did. Often. Even Fantina giggled a little at Volkner's implication. Gardenia just about got a nosebleed from all the blood that had rushed to her head. Candice and Maylene completely lost control over themselves, and Maylene was laughing so hard that she was rolling around on the floor.

Wake never could tolerate the borderline-inappropriate behavior, though. He slammed his hands on the table and yelled, "Do we really already need to have a break so you guys can get a grip?"

There were nods all around the room, except from Roark, who was still so confused by what was going on, he was still trying to figure out what was funny about Volkner's last comment. Yeah, he had to bounce on Volkner's bed, because he didn't know how else to wake him up. There's nothing wrong with that, right?

He couldn't help but notice, though, that Volkner really was in a better mood. What he didn't know, though, was that the guy who usually ran the Gym Leader conferences was busy with matters in another region, so Volkner wasn't going to be scolded for causing another blackout. The Sinnoh Leaders had the entire week to themselves at the Lilycove Motel.

After the short break (which actually ended up being almost a half an hour long because Maylene couldn't pull herself together long enough to sit in her chair), Byron took charge of the meeting.

"Alright, guys, this is my plan. Mr. Director is probably going to check in with one of us," he glanced at Roark, "to make sure that we actually did something productive. We have seven days to plan out, so are there any suggestions?"

Maylene raised her hand eagerly. "We could set up cameras in Volkner and Roark's room and—"

"THAT is not appropriate for this conversation, Maylene," Wake scolded.

Maylene giggled a little. "I'm just kidding. I was actually going to suggest some sparring matches!"

Wake pinched the bridge of his nose. "Think about this for a second, Maylene. I'm a wrestler, Byron and Roark are miners, Fantina's a dancer and coordinator, Volkner's a… I don't know, engineer? Electrician? Candice doesn't even have a profession yet, and you are a trained Martial Artist. How do you think this will honestly turn out?"

"You two, stop bickering," Byron demanded. "Are there any other ideas?"

Fantina spoke up, with her heavy French accent, "We could do the, as you call them, sparring matches, only with our Pokémon?"

Byron thought about the possibility for a minute or two. It sounded reasonable. They'd probably be forced to train with each other and share strategies, anyway, so why not? He turned to the white board on the wall and started scribbling some possible match-ups.

After a minute or two, he gave up trying to figure it out and snagged a piece of paper from a memo pad that sat in the middle of the table. He tore it into quarters and scrawled some names on them. He folded them up, and, after a slight pause, snatched Roark's hat from his head and tossed the pieces in it. "Alright," he explained, "I've written down four of our names in here: Roark, Gardenia, Wake, and myself. The other four of us will pull a card from here. These will determine who battles who in our first round."

Candice raised her hand slightly before speaking. "Why did you pick those specific names?"

"Because we don't want any obvious type advantages. Gardenia and Wake would probably annihilate Roark in a battle, so, by putting all three of them in the drawing, none of them can be against each other. Maylene or Fantina aren't in the hat simply because, if they were to face off, none of Maylene's Pokémon would ever land a hit on Fantina's. This way, we can eliminate most unfair match-ups."

"But," Candice protested, "Both Roark's and your Pokémon have type advantages against mine, and I'm at a disadvantage with three out of four of my possibilities, assuming I draw first."

"Note that I did say 'most' and 'obvious'. Also, you should remember that you are the seventh Leader in the Sinnoh region. You're not too far behind Volkner."

Candice sighed. "Fine. Have it your way."

"That's better," Byron said, satisfied that he won the argument. "Alright, let's go in reverse order of rank. Volkner, you get to pick first." He held Roark's hat out to Volkner, who reached inside and picked one of the slips at random.

He opened it up and read off the name. "I got Roark."

Candice let out a sigh of relief, whispering, "Two out of three chances, now," before reaching in. She pulled out her own slip of paper and looked like she was about to slam her head into the table. "I got Byron," she grumbled.

Maylene pulled her slip, and Fantina received the last one.

"I've got Gardenia," Maylene announced.

Fantina followed suit, although quite flamboyantly, "And I will be against Wake in the first round."

"Alright, guys. I think that's about all that we're going to get for productivity today," Gardenia said, standing up. "How 'bout we call it a day and start the battling tomorrow?" The vote was a unanimous 'yes'. Everybody went their separate ways after leaving the conference room.

Roark found he was extremely nervous. He didn't want to battle against Volkner! That was insane! Volkner was the _eighth_ Gym Leader; Roark was the _first_. It was a match made in hell, if you asked him. He was about to try to talk to Volkner about it, but Volkner seemed to be lost in his own world.

In reality, Volkner hadn't been paying attention for the majority of the meeting. He was more focused on Roark, of all people. He didn't know what was wrong, but for some strange reason, he almost felt that he wanted to be in the same position that they had been in that morning, only with the roles reversed and not by accident. He had no idea what had gotten into him that day, but he was pretty sure that there was no chance of that ever happening. Not only would Roark be more careful of his footing, but Volkner was going to be sure to actually turn on an alarm clock, just in case the curtains were closed again.

He snapped out of his thoughts when Roark waved a hand in front of his face. "Hello? Is there a Volkner in there?"

It was going to be the longest week of Volkner's life. He just knew it.

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**Well, that's chapter 2. Stay tuned for chapter 3! It should be ready in just a day or two. I plan to keep this pace for the entire story. This pairing is kind of growing on me as I write this story, too... I'm not sure if that's good or bad yet.**


	3. Walk on the Beach

**AN: Ugh... sorry this is so late. I've had finals, one of my best friend's graduation, and other stuff to take care of.**

**That other stuff being Minecraft. D:**

**I'm sorry! Not only is it really, really late, but it's also really, really short and kind of rushed. I had a bad case of writer's block, too, which didn't help.**

**Anyhow... I hope you still enjoy this chapter. I'm looking at you, kshiba-chan and Tell-Tale Told.**

**Gah... I might rewrite this chapter someday.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokemon in any way. If I did, the Gym Leaders would be able to vary their teams more. Now wouldn't that be interesting?**

* * *

Volkner felt his toes sinking into the warm sand on the beach. Less than a couple meters away, cerulean waves lapped against the shore. Further in the water, a small group of Wailmer played, splashing at each other and chasing each other through the water.

Volkner was in one of his rare good moods. The weather was perfect, yes, but that's not why. There was a figure next to him, keeping the same pace as he was, not saying anything. Volkner wasn't sure why, or how, but whoever this person was, he put Volkner in a better, calmer mood.

He glanced over at the figure curiously, trying to figure out who it was. He felt that he should know the figure's name, but it wasn't coming to him. The figure was facing away from him, out towards the frolicking Wailmer, giving Volkner a clear view of the figure's shoulder-length, deep maroon hair. He was about to grab onto the figure's shoulder to turn him around, but realized that the motion was unnecessary. The figure was starting to face him just as Volkner felt a light pressure on his face.

Volkner opened his eyes in his and Roark's room, realizing that all of what had just happened was only a dream. He turned his head in the direction that the pressure had come from, and found Roark's face less than six inches away.

Volkner pushed himself to the other side of his bed, nearly falling off. His face burned a bright red shade. "Roark! What the hell are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" Roark questioned innocently. "I didn't do anything."

"What did you do to me when I was asleep?"

"Nothing."

"Tauros shit. I felt it!"

"Felt what?" Roark was genuinely confused. Volkner was sleeping again, well before the sun had gone down. Hadn't he gotten enough sleep? Roark wanted someone to go exploring with!

"What did you do to my face? Spit it out already, Roark!"

"Oh! That! I just poked you to see if you would wake up."

"Then why were you so close?" Volkner was getting slightly suspicious of his roommate. What if Roark ever _did_ do something to him in his sleep? Volkner pushed the thought to a dark corner of his mind, never wanting to remember it again.

"You were saying something," Roark blushed slightly and looked away, "It sounded like you were trying to ask me something."

Volkner stood up and wandered over to the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower. When I'm done, we can go exploring, I guess." He was sure to bring his clothes with him and locked the door behind him.

Roark waited patiently, staring out the window, not thinking of anything in particular. Before too long, Volkner came out of the bathroom dressed in his usual jeans and jacket. Roark jumped up and practically pranced to the door. "Let's go down to the beach!"

Scratching his head, Volkner agreed. It wasn't a very long walk away, and once they were there, the two Gym Leaders left their shoes a safe distance from the water.

Volkner felt his toes sinking into the warm sand on the beach. Less than a couple meters away, cerulean waves lapped against the shore. Further in the water, a small group of Wailmer played, splashing at each other and chasing each other through the water.

Volkner was in one of his rare good moods. The weather was perfect, yes, but that's not why. He figured it was probably because Roark was there, keeping the same pace as he was, not saying anything. Volkner wasn't sure why, or how, but whenever he was with Roark, he was instantly in a better mood.

He glanced over at Roark curiously, trying to figure out why. He felt that he should know the reason, but he couldn't place it. That or he didn't want to admit it. Roark was facing away from him, out towards the frolicking Wailmer, giving Volkner a clear view of his shoulder-length, deep maroon hair. He was about to grab onto the Roark's shoulder to turn him around, but realized that the motion was unnecessary. Roark turned to face him and asked, "Is something wrong?"

Volkner shook his head quickly. "Not at all. What makes you think that?"

"You're just really quiet."

"I'm just not one for talking."

"Hmm," Roark nodded. "I've noticed. I always have to start conversations. How 'bout this: we get to know each other better over this week. Who knows when we'll get another break from Gym Leader duties?"

Volkner sighed in defeat. He didn't have an excuse not to, after all. "Alright then. What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know. Anything, really," Roark scratched his head. "Well, we have that battle tomorrow, don't we? Do you think we can use any of our Pokémon that we've ever caught? I have a Tyranitar, Kabutops, and a Magcargo I want to use tomorrow. I think they're pretty strong-"

"Wait a second," Volkner interrupted. "Didn't the League tell you that the first Gym Leader is only allowed to use Pokémon levels ten through fourteen?"

Roark shrugged. "Sure they did, and I have a lower-leveled Onix, Cranidos, and Geodude I use for Gym Battles. What, did you think I didn't train other Pokémon at all? That would get really boring!"

"I'm actually a little surprised. I thought I was the only one who did that. I've got a Magnezone, Lanturn, and a Stunfisk that I want to use."

Roark looked at him in confusion. "A Stunfisk? How'd you get one of those in Sinnoh?"

Volkner laughed a little. "Who says I don't have connections in Unova? I just so happen to personally know Elesa-"

"YOU KNOW ELESA?" Roark nearly squeaked. He looked like he was going to burst with excitement. He grabbed Volkner's hands. "Can you introduce me to her one day?"

Volkner was shocked. He wasn't expecting such a reaction from Roark. Still, he didn't really mind their close proximity—

"Volkner, are you okay? You're spacing out." Roark asked. When Volkner came to again, Roark's face was mere inches from his own, and their hands were still clasped together. His face grew hot again, and he closed his eyes tightly. Roark seemed like he wasn't sure what was going on, though. "Volkner, are you sick or something? Your face is all red again. Do you want to go back?"

Volkner opened one eye a little. He shook his head. "I'm perfectly fine. You just have no idea how attractive I find-" Volkner stopped himself by biting his tongue. He couldn't believe that he'd just started spouting exactly what he was thinking.

Roark face split with a mischievous grin. "What was that, Volkner? I didn't quite hear you properly." It was no wonder Roark was Byron's son now. They had the same twisted sense of humor, apparently.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Volkner denied. He started to look around for a distraction frantically. He found one, alright.

Maylene and Candice were standing at the top of the slight slope down to the beach. And Candice had a camera.

Roark noticed this, of course, and since he was feeling particularly mischievous, he had been plotting what to do to get the female Gym Leaders squealing with joy.

Volkner wasn't sure what had taken the happy-go-lucky Roark hostage. Well, either something had exchanged him for this Roark, or he was really good at covering this mischievous side of him. Volkner settled for the latter, as it seemed more probable.

Roark took Volkner's slight panic as his chance to strike. He closed the distance between his and Volkner's faces quickly; he released one of Volkner's hands at the same time and gently grabbed Volkner's chin. Roark had the element of surprise on his side, and he caught Volkner's lips with his own before Volkner had any idea what was going on.

To Volkner, it felt like his entire world was vanishing and becoming irrelevant. Even the squealing coming from Maylene and Candice started being pushed to the back of his mind, being replaced with thoughts along the lines of, "Ooh, this is nice. Wait. What the _hell_ is happening right now? Do I care? It's still pretty nice. Hold up, is Roark seriously-"

By the time Volkner figured out what was happening, Roark had already released him. Volkner stood on the beach, staring straight ahead with a dumbfounded expression. Roark started walking slowly back to the motel. It took Volkner a few seconds to realize that he was leaving; he jogged to catch up.

"What was that for?" Volkner demanded, finally getting his wits about him. "You can't just do that when I'm not expecting it!"

Roark smirked. "So if I warn you next time, you won't mind? Actually, you didn't seem to mind it much this time."

Volkner blushed. "Well… That's not what I'm saying! Candice and Maylene were taking pictures, you know!"

"I know. I knew that before you did. You're forgetting that I was facing them."

"You still didn't answer my question."

"Could you repeat it for me?"

"I said, 'what the hell was that for?'"

Roark chewed his bottom lip as if he were thinking of a good reason. "I couldn't think of a reason not to."

Volkner stopped in his tracks. They were back to the spot where they had left their shoes already. "You couldn't think of a reason not to?" He echoed.

"Yeah. Considering the fact that I've actually-" Roark seemed to have lost his mischievous demeanor again. It was up to Volkner to press for answers, now.

"You actually, what?"

"Don't laugh."

"What makes you think I would? I'm still in shock."

"Fine then."

"Well?"

"I'll tell you later."

Roark was already up and walking away again, leaving Volkner alone, sitting on the sun-warmed sand of the Lilycove beach.

* * *

**Short chapter is short. The next one will DEFINITELY have an intense battle scene. Just because they take up more space when I write them right. Anyhow... I hope Roark's character change isn't too odd. I tried, guys, I really did! D:**

**Also, YAY TO ME FOR GETTING 100 profile views! Also, all of my stories but one (Night Under the Stars) have over 150 views! YAY, PEOPLE READ MY STUFF!**


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